Road Map to Running for Office

Road Map to Running for Office

Road Map for Running for Office
Type: 
News

Are you thinking about running for office in Wellesley? Are you finding the process confusing? Here is the most current information we have for the upcoming 2025 Town Election. This road map is here to guide you through the steps you need to take. 

1. Should I run for elected town board/committee or Town Meeting Member or both?

What office are you interested in running for? Please see the LWVW's Candidate's Handbook for a llist of the elected positions that exist in Wellesley, length of the term of office, and who can run. Serving as a Town Meeting Member is usually less of a time-commitment than holding elected town office, and can be a great way to learn how municipal government works. If you are running for town wide office, you might want to consider running for Town Meeting Member as well - the name recognition gained running for a town office can be helpful in earning a Town Meeting seat.

2. I think I want to run for Town Meeting. Now what?

To have your name placed on the ballot, you have to "pull" nomination papers at the Town Clerk's office, get signatures, and return your papers to the Town Clerk. Each year, the Town Clerk determines the election calendar for the next Town election. Town wide candidates and Town Meeting Members have different deadlines and different signature requirements, e.g., Town Meeting Member candidates must get all their signatures from within their precincts whereas town wide candidates can gather their signatures from across town. The Town Clerk's VOTING & ELECTIONS page at the WellesleyMA.gov website gives instructions for candidates who would like to run for a Town Meeting Member position (scroll down and click on "Instructions for Candidates for Town Meeting" box) which include nomination paper filing dates.

3. I'd like to run for a town wide office. Now what?

If you are unsure of what board you'd like to join, it's a great idea to start attending meetings of the boards you are potentially interested in. Learning what the board does, what skills are needed, and what time commitment is necessary can help you find your perfect board "match". Although any Wellesley registered voter can run for any elected board if a seat is available, it can be useful to ask the Town Clerk's office which boards have open seats (i.e., the incumbent isn't running again). Note that candidates for Housing Authority, Library Trustee, Natural Resources Commission, Planning Board, Recreation and Board of Public Works need only be Wellesley residents and not necessarily registered voters.

To have your name placed on the ballot, you have to "pull" nomination papers at the Town Clerk's office, get signatures, and return your papers to the Town Clerk. Each year, the Town Clerk determines the election calendar for the next Town election. The Town Clerk's Voting & Elections page at the WellesleyMA.gov website gives instructions for candidates who would like to run for Town Wide Office (scroll down and click on "Instructions for Candidates for Town Wide Office" box) which include nomination paper filing dates.

4. Is there a quick summary of what I should do?

  • Check out the League's "Cheat Sheet" - page 2 of the Candidate's Handbook which lists all important steps and deadlines for filing nomination papers to be elected as a town wide official or Town Meeting member.
  • View the League's How to Run for Public Office informative event from last year here. We invited community members, who currently hold elected positions, to discuss the process for running for public office and answer any questions potential candidates may have. This is a fun, informal way to learn about how Town government works and figure out the "nuts and bolts" of campaigning. 

5. How can I publicize my candidacy?

Once your paperwork has been certified, you should start thinking about how you will make your candidacy visible to the public. If you are running for a town wide office, you may want to declare in  Letters to the Editor  on the Swellesley Report. You might consider writing a letter to friends, neighbors and other potential supporters, both to generate interest in your campaign and to raise funds for it if needed. (If you are going to raise money for your campaign, you will need to report both contributions and expenses by filing appropriate paperwork with the Town Clerk's Office. See LWVW's Candidates Handbook for an introduction to campaign finance. If you have questions, you should contact the kckato [at] wellesleyma.gov (Town Clerk).)

The time-honored tradition for both Town Meeting Member and town wide candidates is to mail a physical postcard to your constituents - names and addresses of voters listed by precinct are readily available from the Town Clerk's office. For a Town Meeting run, this may be a sufficient level of campaigning! Because postage is expensive, many candidates target only frequent voters or voters they have identified as likely supporters. Many town wide candidates also create websites and/or use email, Facebook or other social media platforms to introduce themselves. Getting friends to write letters of support, host an event so voters can meet you, or display a yard sign on your behalf are also effective ways to communicate. Talk to people you know who have successfully campaigned for local office and ask for their suggestions. Included in the Candidates Handbook lists a few campaign tips and the above video has even more ideas!

All candidates on the ballot will also be invited to submit information and a photo to Vote411.org, a League-run website which provides personalized candidate and voting information to the public. It's an easy and effective way to get your name out to the public. Town wide candidates are also invited to participate in Meet the Candidates Night an annual League  event which allows candidates to introduce themselves, describe why they are running, and answer voter questions. More time is usually given to races which are contested. Other organizations (e.g., Sustainable Wellesley, Wellesley Dems, Wellesley Republicans) may also sponsor "candidate evenings" where their members can meet and ask questions of the candidates. Local media may also solicit candidate information and you should take advantage of such invitations to introduce yourself. The event is TBA sometime in Feb 2024.

6. I won my race! What should I do now?

Congratulations! You will need to be sworn in by the Town Clerk before you can take office. You will also be asked to participate in online ethics training and read about open meeting law. The League's Town Government Handbook is a useful guide for elected and appointed officials. The Town Clerk's office can also answer specific questions you may have.

Don't forget to thank your constituents for helping you win your race. And please remove all your campaign lawn signs promptly and recycle them at the RDF.

League to which this content belongs: 
Wellesley